Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

August 21, 2008 8:58:52 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

Stories related to: prescription drugs

Stories

Stories 21 - 35 of 35

<< Prev 1 2
  • January 2008

    • US Health Care Spending Tops Record $2T

      Bloomberg  |  Jan 9, 08 4:40 AM CST

      US Health Care Spending Tops Record $2T

      (Newser) - US health-care spending in 2006 increased 6.7% to a record $2.1 trillion—an average of  $7,000 for every person in America. Medicare spending jumped 19%, its fastest growth rate in 25 years, according to the latest government statistics published yesterday in the journal Health Affairs . The Medicare boost was due largely to shifting 6.2 million low-income seniors from Medicaid drug programs to a subsidized Medicare prescription plan. More »

      Tags

      prescription drugs  • Medicare  • health care costs  • Medicaid

    • Minorities Denied Potent Painkillers, Study Finds

      Reuters  |  Jan 2, 08 4:14 AM CST

      Minorities Denied Potent Painkillers, Study Finds

      (Newser) - Minority patients are less likely than white patients to receive powerful painkillers in hospital emergency rooms, a new study has found. Researchers discovered that 31% of white people in pain were given opioid drugs—narcotic painkillers like morphine and codeine—while Hispanic patients got them 24% of the time and blacks 23%. Overall, prescriptions for opioids have increased 14% since 1993. More »

      Tags

      prescription drugs  • Hispanic  • painkiller  • narcotics  • emergency room  • minorities  • opioids

  • November 2007

    • Lack of Info Plagues Docs Treating Kids

      Washington Post  |  Nov 23, 07 8:12 PM CST

      Lack of Info Plagues Docs Treating Kids

      (Newser) - A dearth of information on the effects of prescription drugs on children is putting millions of kids at risk, the Washington Post reports. Two-thirds of the medications prescribed to kids haven't been tested on them, and those that have been tested often produce unexpected results: A migraine drug that works on adults causes strokes in kids. And asthma inhaler stunts growth. A pain-killer patch can deliver a fatal overdose to a child. More »

      Tags

      children  • FDA  • prescription drugs  • pharmaceutical companies  • pediatrics  • American Academy of Pediatrics

    • Budget Batters FDA Oversight of Foreign Drugs

      Washington Post  |  Nov 1, 07 4:10 AM CDT

      Budget Batters FDA Oversight of Foreign Drugs

      (Newser) - The federal Food and Drug Administration's spotty record inspecting foreign drug manufacturers will be even worse next year as its budget drops just as developing countries are flooding the market with new medications, reports the Washington Post . Foreign drug plants are inspected only once every eight to 12 years because of budget restrictions, as opposed to every two years required for American makers. More »

      Tags

      China  • India  • FDA  • prescription drugs  • imports  • Congressional investigations  • oversight  • developing countries  • House Energy and Commerce Committee

  • October 2007

    • 'Privatized' Medicare Dupes Elderly: Audits

      New York Times  |  Oct 7, 07 8:18 PM CDT

      'Privatized' Medicare Dupes Elderly: Audits

      (Newser) - Dems are likely loading political ammo after audits show that Medicare providers have cut thousands from coverage and snubbed those who complain. What's more, HIV/AIDS patients have been booted, standards flouted and phones left ringing. Dems have long opposed efforts to "privatize Medicare," but feds say the changes improve choice and slash prices, the New York Times reports. More »

      Tags

      doctor  • elderly  • prescription drugs  • Medicare  • Health and Human Services  • UnitedHealth

  • September 2007

    • FDA May Ban Cold Medicines for Young Children

      New York Times  |  Sep 29, 07 8:35 AM CDT

      FDA May Ban Cold Medicines for Young Children

      (Newser) - FDA experts have concluded that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines are not safe  for very young children, and they're urging the agency to ban them. In a safety review released yesterday, they conclude that the medicines are not proven effective in children under 6 and have been implicated in more than 100 deaths. Most of the deaths were children under 2, and many were thought to be due to overdoses. More »

      Tags

      FDA  • prescription drugs

    • Wal-Mart Expands $4 Drug Program

      St. Petersburg Times  |  Sep 28, 07 2:29 PM CDT

      Wal-Mart Expands $4 Drug Program

      (Newser) - A year after launching its $4 prescription drug program, Wal-Mart yesterday added 24 names to its list of 361 generic medications. The company boasts that it now covers more than 95% of treatable common diseases, the St Petersburg Times reports, but critics call the program a publicity stunt and say Wal-Mart is using it as a loss leader. More »

      Tags

      Wal-Mart  • prescription drugs  • generic drugs

    • Senate Passes FDA Drug Safety Bill

      Reuters  |  Sep 21, 07 4:53 AM CDT

      Senate Passes FDA Drug Safety Bill

      (Newser) - The Senate moved the Food and Drug Administration drug-safety bill one step closer to law yesterday, passing it unanimously and sending it to President Bush, who is expected to sign it. The measure would grant the FDA more control over warnings on prescription drugs, and would allow the organization to call for additional studies on existing drugs, Reuters reports. More »

      Tags

      Senate  • FDA  • prescription drugs

  • August 2007

    • Feds Crack Down on California Pot Operations

      Reuters  |  Aug 15, 07 12:24 AM CDT

      Feds Crack Down on California Pot Operations

      (Newser) - The federal Drug Enforcement Agency is stepping up raids on California's medicinal marijuana distributors, confiscating drugs and arresting vendors at ten Los Angeles operations last month alone, Reuters reports. California legalized medicinal marijuana use more than ten years ago, but possession of the drug violates federal law. Federal officials argue that a legal alternative, a pill called Marinol, works as well, but users disagree. More »

      Tags

      California  • drugs  • marijuana  • prescription drugs  • medical marijuana  • Drug Enforcement Administration  • DEA

  • July 2007

    • Skipping Meds Can Be Deadly

      Associated Press  |  Jul 31, 07 5:31 AM CDT

      Skipping Meds Can Be Deadly

      (Newser) - Half of all patients with chronic illnesses don't take their medication as prescribed, says a new report, undermining their health and hastening their death. Patients with illnesses like heart disease and asthma often skip doses, misunderstand prescriptions or drop medication as soon as they feel better. The result is  more doctor visits, more hospitalizations, and billions in medical bills. More »

      Tags

      health  • medicine  • heart disease  • elderly  • blood pressure  • prescription drugs  • patients  • prescription  • chronic illness

    • British Doc Prescribes Statins to All Men Over 50

      Guardian (UK)  |  Jul 28, 07 8:06 AM CDT

      British Doc Prescribes Statins to All Men Over 50

      (Newser) - All men aged 50 and over should forestall heart disease with daily doses of cholesterol-reducing statins,  a leading health figure in British government has proposed. The so-called “heart czar” acknowledged he might provoke “nanny state” accusations, but said the process of identifying at-risk men is  too cumbersome, and the drugs should be doled out in a blanket fashion. More »

      Tags

      Great Britain  • heart disease  • prescription drugs  • men  • cholesterol  • statins

    • Americans Pop Happy Pills in Record Numbers

      CNN  |  Jul 9, 07 6:28 PM CDT

      Americans Pop Happy Pills in Record Numbers

      (Newser) - Antidepressants are America's most prescribed drugs, according to a new CDC report, clocking in more scripts than meds for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or asthma. Prescriptions for antidepressants rose 48% between 1995 and 2002, accounting for 118 million of the 2.4 billion drugs prescribed in 2005. More »

      Tags

      medicine  • doctor  • depression  • blood pressure  • prescription drugs  • pharmaceutical companies  • antidepressant  • CDC  • government study

    • Al Gore III Returns to Rehab

      Associated Press  |  Jul 5, 07 5:05 PM CDT

      Al Gore III Returns to Rehab

      (Newser) - Al Gore III has posted bail and returned to rehab. A day after the ex-VP's son was busted for drugs, the 24-year-old magazine publisher "is getting treatment," his father said today. In his first public reaction, he appeared on the "Today" show and said, "We love him very much," adding, "We are going to leave it as a private matter." More »

      Tags

      Al Gore  • marijuana  • prescription drugs  • rehab  • Xanax  • Adderall  • Al Gore III

  • May 2007

    • Big Pharma Loses Generic Drug Fight

      Wall Street Journal  |  May 17, 07 10:23 AM CDT

      Big Pharma Loses Generic Drug Fight

      (Newser) - Congress and the White House have agreed to give developing nations more access to affordable generic drugs by easing some patent enforcement rules. Tucked into a broader trade agreement passed last week, the provision is the first blow to American pharmaceutical companies since the Democrats won control of Congress, the Wall Street Journal reports. More »

      Tags

      health  • drugs  • health care  • medicine  • prescription drugs  • pharmaceutical companies  • Medicare  • pharma

    • OxyContin Maker Pleads Guilty

      Associated Press  |  May 10, 07 12:01 PM CDT

      OxyContin Maker Pleads Guilty

      (Newser) - The company that makes OxyContin pleaded guilty today to misleading the public about the effects of the potent painkiller. Purdue Pharma and three executives will pay $634.5 million in civil and criminal fines. Federal prosecutors accused the firm of "misbranding" the drug, marketing it as a less addictive alternative to traditional pain meds although no evidence supported the claim. More »

      Tags

      health  • lawsuit  • crime  • medicine  • prescription drugs  • OxyContin

Stories 21 - 35 of 35

<< Prev 1 2

Today's Most Popular

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »